Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End by Naughty Dog is a cinematic third-person action-adventure built around climbing, rope traversal, stealth starts, destructible cover, shootouts, puzzles, and optional collectibles. This guide covers first-run fundamentals for the PS4 original and the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection versions on PS5 and PC.
Content note: ESRB and PlayStation game details rate Uncharted 4 / Legacy of Thieves as Teen with blood, language, alcohol/tobacco use, and violence descriptors. This guide keeps those topics non-graphic and focused on player decisions.
This is not a full walkthrough, exact treasure route, trophy roadmap, Survival build guide, or current online-status report. Use it to play the campaign cleanly, then confirm exact collectibles and platform details before a completion run.
Version Scope
| Version | What to Know |
|---|---|
| PS4 original | Campaign plus original online multiplayer/Survival support in game details; PS Plus is required for online play. |
| PS5 Legacy of Thieves | Remastered Uncharted 4 campaign in the collection, PS5 modes/features, PS4 save import, but no original multiplayer. |
| PC Legacy of Thieves | Single-player collection release with PC graphics/options, keyboard/mouse and controller support, and wired DualSense features. |
Do not assume every feature exists everywhere. If you want Uncharted 4 multiplayer or Survival, confirm the PS4 version and current online status. If you are on PS5 or PC through Legacy of Thieves Collection, treat this as a campaign-focused release unless a your version says otherwise.
Essential Tips
1. Choose the Right First Difficulty
Moderate or Light is the clean first run.
PlayStation’s own beginner advice recommends Moderate or Light if this is your first Uncharted adventure. Hard is reasonable for series veterans, but Crushing is described as brutal and better suited to later playthroughs. Learn the rhythm before you punish every mistake.
2. Set Controls Before the Opening Gets Busy
The options menu is part of the tool kit.
Check aiming, firing, camera, inversion, subtitles, and controller settings before you settle in. On PC, also check keybinds, mouse feel, graphics options, and controller behavior. The PC Legacy release supports control remapping, keyboard/mouse, gamepads, and wired DualSense features, so do not fight a default setup that feels wrong.
3. Learn Rope Timing Early
The rope is not a one-off gimmick.
The official page calls out the rope as a frequent tool, and GameFAQs describes grappling as a major traversal system. Look for rope-wrapped points or grapple icons, build swing momentum before jumping, and remember that the hook can also be tied into object interaction in some situations.
4. Treat Cover as Temporary
If a fight stalls, move before the cover breaks.
Uncharted 4’s cover can be destructible. Use cover to catch your breath, reload, and line up the next angle, but avoid staying behind one object while enemies shift around you. A clean fight usually means moving between cover, high ground, grass, and rope routes.
5. Start Encounters With Stealth
A quiet opening makes loud fights easier.
Tall grass, detection indicators, and enemy marking are central campaign tools. Mark patrols, watch white and yellow awareness states, and remove isolated enemies before the shooting starts. On Crushing, marking does not work, so build the habit of reading patrol movement directly.
6. Read the Hit Feedback
The reticle tells you when shots count.
PlayStation’s quick tips describe visual feedback for downs and valuable headshots. Instead of spraying until everything stops moving, fire in short, controlled bursts and use the feedback to decide when to switch targets, reload, or reposition.
7. Explore Before Leaving a Room
Collectibles reward small detours.
The game includes treasures, journal notes, journal entries, and optional conversations as major cleanup categories. Check side ledges, tucked-away corners, dead ends, alternate climb lines, hard-to-see platforms, and companion conversation prompts before pushing the obvious route forward.
8. Use Hints Without Letting Them Drive
A hint can reset your focus.
GameFAQs lists a hint input among the controls, and the game teaches investigation and navigation early. If you are stuck, pause and inspect the environment first, then use the hint system rather than wandering for twenty minutes or forcing jumps that are clearly not intended.
9. Separate Story Play From 100% Cleanup
A first run and a completion run are different jobs.
Exact treasure counts and 100% routes are better saved for a dedicated cleanup pass. For a first campaign pass, collect what you see and learn the language of hidden paths. For 100%, use a dedicated route with chapter-specific route images.
10. Keep Platform Features in Context
PS4, PS5, and PC are not interchangeable.
PS5 Legacy has performance modes and DualSense/SSD features. PC Legacy has graphics settings, remapping, keyboard/mouse, and hardware requirements. The PS4 original is where the game details place original multiplayer. Check your version before following advice about online play, saves, trophies, or controls.
Combat Priorities
| Situation | First Move | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| New arena | Mark patrols and look for grass | Stealth can thin the room before open combat |
| Enemy spots you | Move to fresh cover | Cover can break and enemies can angle around you |
| Rope route nearby | Use it to relocate, not just cross gaps | Movement changes enemy lines of fire |
| Long-range pressure | Burst fire and confirm hit feedback | Controlled shots waste less ammo |
| Close enemy | Evade or melee only when the space is safe | Melee can expose you if the room is still active |
| Puzzle/traversal stall | Re-scan ledges, icons, rope points, and companion cues | The intended path is usually visually signposted |
| Cleanup pass | Check counters and use a dedicated route | Exact collectibles need chapter-specific screenshots |
Collectibles and Cleanup
Uncharted 4 has a broad collectible layer. Official PlayStation wording supports over 190 treasures, journal notes, and optional conversations, while Uncharted Wiki separately lists 109 treasures. Treat those as cleanup signals, not as permission to guess locations.
For a spoiler-light first run:
- Search after combat - Clear the room, then inspect side paths and high/low ledges.
- Watch companions - Optional conversations can depend on staying near characters instead of sprinting ahead.
- Check the journal - Some discoveries feed journal entries or notes rather than visible treasure pickups.
- Use chapter select later - Save exact missed-item cleanup for a dedicated route.
- Do not chase every trophy mid-fight - Combat trophies and collectible trophies are easier when you know encounter layouts.
The exact treasure, journal, optional conversation, and trophy path needs a separate collectibles guide with chapter-specific route images. This guide supports the habit layer.
Multiplayer and Survival Caveats
The PS4 original The game includes team multiplayer, Sidekicks, Mysticals, Trials, and Survival. Survival is a solo/co-op wave mode with up to two additional friends, 50 waves, 10 maps, bosses, objectives, modifiers, in-game cash, arsenal crates, and its own progression.
The Legacy of Thieves Collection release notes that the PS5/PC remaster does not support the original multiplayer. Check the current PS4 online status, PS Plus requirement, matchmaking state, and Survival availability before planning around online play.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Do not start on Crushing just to prove a point - Learn encounters, traversal, and stealth on a first-run difficulty before the no-marking pressure matters.
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Do not skip the control menu - Bad camera, aim, or input settings make rope jumps and gunfights harder than they need to be.
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Do not camp behind one cover object - Cover can be destroyed, and enemies can pressure the same angle.
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Do not open every fight with gunfire - Tall grass, marking, and silent takedowns can give you a safer start.
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Do not ignore rope routes during combat - Rope movement can create a better angle or escape a collapsing position.
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Do not sprint past companion prompts - Optional conversations are easy to miss when you push the main path too fast.
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Do not sprint through side rooms after combat - Treasure, journal, and conversation opportunities often sit away from the main forward line.
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Do not force every gap as a normal jump - Re-check for rope-wrapped grapple points, ledges, or a nearby route sign before repeating the same miss.
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Do not play Survival like a plain deathmatch - Objective waves, modifiers, bosses, in-game cash, and arsenal crates all change what the mode asks from you.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Start on Moderate or Light if you are new |
| Controls | Tune aim, camera, subtitles, and input before combat ramps up |
| Traversal | Learn rope and grapple-point language early |
| Stealth | Use grass, detection indicators, and marking before shooting |
| Cover | Move often because cover can fail |
| Collectibles | Explore broadly first, use exact routes later |
| Versions | Keep PS4 multiplayer separate from PS5/PC Legacy |
| PC | confirm remapping, graphics, and controller behavior in your current build |
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8 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
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